1966 Plymouth Barracuda Formula S - Restoration
Ever since I sold my 64 Barracuda (a 273, 3 on the tree, on here) about 9-10 years ago, I've been searching for another. I've had a lot of rough drivers in between - two Checker Marathons, a 67 Barracuda, a 68 Datsun 1600, a 66 Ford F100 longbed, and a couple of other rough cars. After I got t-boned in an intersection in my 70 Checker this spring, I figured it was time to get to what I've really been craving. A 1964-1966 Barracuda Formula S with a 4-speed. I was close to buying one a few years ago, ended up getting out-bid and out-bought. Fast forward through a divorce, I bought a semi original one here.
Paint, rough. Looks great in photos, terrible in person - at some point, it had a poorly prepped clear coat put on a questionable respray. Doesn't look like it was stripped, which is probably better anyways. They added a white stripe - I plan to remove that when I get it repainted. The electrical, questionable. The gauges and blinkers don't work, but, it drives - and for the most part, I haven't run into a ton of rust yet. The trunk floor has been hacked up and poorly welded - not a huge issue. I'll probably reweld the **** seams and remove the thick paint/undercoating in the trunk at some point. The interior, it's shot - but, mostly original. I need to source some parts for the folding back seat. Like my 64, looks like the shitty wiper seals rusted out the passenger side. I haven't pulled the carpet yet - but when I do, it's done - completely sun baked and dry rotted. Haven't found a broadcast sheet - guessing it's gone or never existed on this one.
I pulled the gauge cluster this week - fuel, temp, tach - none working. The tach itself is bad, I ordered a new 8k rpm replacement from Vans today. Since the tach is bad, no sense in dealing with the remote sender. I'll replace the point with electronic ignition at some point anyways. I'm also replacing the paper circuit boards with replacements from Classic Industries. I've got a voltage limiter coming, I plan to replace the non-functional limiter in the gas gauge with an external limiter. I work in software/electrical engineering by trade, but getting a prebuilt limiter in a can is worth the expense, despite parts costs. I learned that lesson years ago. If someone makes a replacement, dont try to make your own - pony up - don't spend time on stuff that other folks have already fixed and dealt with.
Right now, since there's nobody in the house except me and my dog, I've got my cheap harbor fright ultrasonic cleaner filled with evaporust and I'm rebuilding the 4bbl carter. It has the clean air package (CAP) on it - we'll see what that means. Hopefully no surprises. I got the K4051 carter 4 bbl rebuild from Mikes Carburetor in Chehalis, WA. I've bought a couple of rebuild kits from there in the past and they're always pretty spot on, never had an issue.
Hope to keep a thread going, mostly for my own record keeping, hoping someone else gets something out of it. If anyone has any questions about a 66 Barracuda Formula S - let me know, more than willing to talk. It's not my first rodeo, but I'm still learning more every day.
Ever since I sold my 64 Barracuda (a 273, 3 on the tree, on here) about 9-10 years ago, I've been searching for another. I've had a lot of rough drivers in between - two Checker Marathons, a 67 Barracuda, a 68 Datsun 1600, a 66 Ford F100 longbed, and a couple of other rough cars. After I got t-boned in an intersection in my 70 Checker this spring, I figured it was time to get to what I've really been craving. A 1964-1966 Barracuda Formula S with a 4-speed. I was close to buying one a few years ago, ended up getting out-bid and out-bought. Fast forward through a divorce, I bought a semi original one here.
Paint, rough. Looks great in photos, terrible in person - at some point, it had a poorly prepped clear coat put on a questionable respray. Doesn't look like it was stripped, which is probably better anyways. They added a white stripe - I plan to remove that when I get it repainted. The electrical, questionable. The gauges and blinkers don't work, but, it drives - and for the most part, I haven't run into a ton of rust yet. The trunk floor has been hacked up and poorly welded - not a huge issue. I'll probably reweld the **** seams and remove the thick paint/undercoating in the trunk at some point. The interior, it's shot - but, mostly original. I need to source some parts for the folding back seat. Like my 64, looks like the shitty wiper seals rusted out the passenger side. I haven't pulled the carpet yet - but when I do, it's done - completely sun baked and dry rotted. Haven't found a broadcast sheet - guessing it's gone or never existed on this one.
I pulled the gauge cluster this week - fuel, temp, tach - none working. The tach itself is bad, I ordered a new 8k rpm replacement from Vans today. Since the tach is bad, no sense in dealing with the remote sender. I'll replace the point with electronic ignition at some point anyways. I'm also replacing the paper circuit boards with replacements from Classic Industries. I've got a voltage limiter coming, I plan to replace the non-functional limiter in the gas gauge with an external limiter. I work in software/electrical engineering by trade, but getting a prebuilt limiter in a can is worth the expense, despite parts costs. I learned that lesson years ago. If someone makes a replacement, dont try to make your own - pony up - don't spend time on stuff that other folks have already fixed and dealt with.
Right now, since there's nobody in the house except me and my dog, I've got my cheap harbor fright ultrasonic cleaner filled with evaporust and I'm rebuilding the 4bbl carter. It has the clean air package (CAP) on it - we'll see what that means. Hopefully no surprises. I got the K4051 carter 4 bbl rebuild from Mikes Carburetor in Chehalis, WA. I've bought a couple of rebuild kits from there in the past and they're always pretty spot on, never had an issue.
Hope to keep a thread going, mostly for my own record keeping, hoping someone else gets something out of it. If anyone has any questions about a 66 Barracuda Formula S - let me know, more than willing to talk. It's not my first rodeo, but I'm still learning more every day.
